Impact Global Location: Taiwan

REF impact found 86 Case Studies

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Summary of the impact

Pre-eclampsia is a major contributor to death and disability in
pregnancy. Diagnosis, based on accurate blood pressure (BP)/proteinuria
determination, is limited by measurement errors and being late features of
the disease. In collaboration with industry, King's College London (KCL)
researchers have developed an inexpensive, accurate, simple BP device
suitable for rural clinics. This device allows intervention to reduce
mortality/morbidity and is currently being rolled out in a Gates
Foundation project in Africa and Asia. KCL researchers have also helped
the company Alere Inc. with the development of a diagnostically accurate
test of placental growth factor (PlGF) in women with suspected
pre-eclampsia: Alere Triage®PlGF. This demonstrates high
sensitivity, superior to current tests, and following commercialisation is
being adopted internationally. Their work is additionally reflected in
guidelines of international standards for BP device accuracy.

Research Subject Area(s)

Summary of the impact

Karl Gerth's work on the role of Chinese consumers in the global economy,
and on ways in which Chinese consumerism may create more environmental and
policy problems than it solves, has had a significant influence on
business leaders seeking to position themselves in the Chinese market, as
well as on public discourse around the `rise of China'. Gerth has extended
the range and quality of the evidence on the interconnected and
wide-ranging ramifications of the shift within China toward a market
economy over the past thirty years, and has improved understanding of this
phenomenon in ways which have enabled British business to compete more
effectively in China.

Submitting Institution

University of Oxford

Unit of Assessment

History

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Summary of the impact

Exeter Drama's research in Applied Theatre has had impact in the
improvement of community understandings of mental health, providing
professional development for medics and teachers, and providing and
informing training in applied and community theatre. This case study
outlines the impact of last twenty years of research and performance
practice in applied theatre, developed by Honorary Research Fellow (2005-)
and former senior lecturer (1990-2005) John Somers, and continued
in the work of Fiona MacBeth, Kerrie Schaefer, Sarah Goldingay,
Anna Harpin, and Jane Milling. Somers developed
new approaches to community theatre and has given presentations on this
work internationally. Impact has also been achieved through Somers'
founding of the applied theatre company Exstream (Exeter, 2001)
and under his direction Exstream achieved a reputation for excellence
through the development of interactive theatre, raising awareness of
issues related to wellbeing, mental health, and creativity within the
community.

Submitting Institution

University of Exeter

Unit of Assessment

Music, Drama, Dance and Performing Arts

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Summary of the impact

The project led to improved public access to partner collections via a
major website, informed the design of the £10m HLF-funded Birmingham
History Galleries of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (including
innovative multi-touch software), and firmly embedded a culture of
cross-sector collaboration with impact in Birmingham, the Midlands, and
beyond.

Submitting Institution

University of Birmingham

Unit of Assessment

Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Summary of the impact

Research on high-voltage power devices by the University of Cambridge
Department of
Engineering (DoEng) was commercialised by its spin-off company, Cambridge
Semiconductor
Limited (CamSemi), which, in the REF period, has:

shipped more than 450 million power-management chips

secured private investment of over GBP35M

continued to employ 50-60 staff.

CamSemi chips are more efficient than traditional linear power supplies.
The CamSemi chips that
were produced before the end of the REF period are estimated to save of
the order of 100GWh of
electricity and 50,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year in
total.

Summary of the impact

Spatial models developed from research in the School of Geography about
population movements in cities are informing commercial planning and
public policy analysis. The conduit for this impact is GMAP Ltd., a
spin-out company established by the University of Leeds, which has used
the models as the basis for its MicroVision and RetailVision software.
Companies including Ford, Exxon, HBoS and Asda-Walmart have used this
software for a range of purposes including maximizing individual stores'
profitability and reconfiguring entire networks to fit changing market
conditions. Government agencies have also used the software to optimize
resource allocation in policing, education and healthcare.

Submitting Institution

University of Leeds

Unit of Assessment

Geography, Environmental Studies and Archaeology

Summary Impact Type

Economic

Research Subject Area(s)

Summary of the impact

This case study details the impact of a pioneering theoretical approach
to English language testing. Recognised as the most influential test
validation theory in modern assessment, the socio-cognitive framework,
conceived by Weir and O'Sullivan, and operationalized and developed
further by O'Sullivan at the University of Roehampton, focuses on three
key elements: the test taker (social), the test system (cognitive), and
the scoring system (evaluative). This framework is applied to give a
meaningful measure of a candidate's performance, appropriate to the
underlying traits or abilities being assessed. This research has had a
significant impact in two distinct phases: 1) through a series of
commissioned projects since 2008, the research has had a significant
impact on testing bodies, organisations and test takers internationally,
and 2) it has underpinned the development of innovative new business
products by a leading international educational and cultural organisation
since 2012.

Submitting Institution

Roehampton University

Unit of Assessment

Modern Languages and Linguistics

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Summary of the impact

Chemtrix Ltd. was established in February 2006 as a 50-50 joint venture
between the University of
Hull and Lionix Ltd. In 2008 the company attracted investment from Limburg
Ventures BV,
Panthera, Technostartersfund, Microfix BV and Hugo Delissen (€2 million)
that led to the creation
of Chemtrix BV. In 2009 the Company launched Chemtrix USA and a second
investment round
followed with investors Particon BV. In 2012 ESK Ceramics GmbH & Co.
KG, acquired a minority
interest (30%) in Chemtrix BV based on a valuation of €5.3 million.

The three products developed and marketed by Chemtix, Labtrix®,
KiloFlow® and Plantrix®, are
differentiated from competitor products as they offer `scalable flow
chemistry', such that optimised
reaction conditions can be easily scaled from R&D to production. In
addition to the employees and
investors in Chemtrix the main non-academic beneficiaries of the research
have been industrial
customers such as Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Edward Air Force Base, Iolitec
GmbH and DSM.

Research Subject Area(s)

Summary of the impact

The psycholinguistic framework for research and practice developed by
Stackhouse and Wells is now a key component of the majority of UK speech
and language therapy courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In
addition to influencing the design and delivery of course curricula in the
UK, Europe, Australia, South Africa and USA, the framework is used in
continuing professional development for speech and language therapists
(SLTs), special needs teachers, and with parents. The resultant impact on
clinical and educational practice, the assessment of children and the
planning of therapy interventions can be seen across the spectrum of
persisting speech difficulties, including those related to dyspraxia,
dysarthria, dyslexia, cleft palate, Down Syndrome, stammering, specific
speech and language impairments.

Submitting Institution

University of Sheffield

Unit of Assessment

Modern Languages and Linguistics

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Summary of the impact

Pioneering research at Essex developed an innovative mathematical method
for determining the
chlorophyll fluorescence parameter Fo', as well as novel LED lighting
technology and a multi-plant
imaging system. This instrument is marketed by Technologica.
Originally an Essex spinout, the
company has sold 42 units across Europe, Asia and South America since
2006, recording its
highest ever profits over the past three years (totalling ~£115k). Essex's
mathematical method for
determining Fo' is also used by other manufacturers, who have since
developed their own imaging
systems. This research has helped to establish chlorophyll fluorescence
imaging as a mainstream
screening tool, now used globally to inform a range of crop production and
handling strategies.